3dstuffmaker Prusa (Classic) Review

Classic Prusa: The Review
Hi guys, we bought the classic Prusa on eBay from 3dstuffmaker for $595 and requested express shipping to Australia and they offered it at no extra charge. It literally arrived in Australia within 3 days with FedEx express, super fast shipping. Assembly was fairly easy with an in-depth manual and it came with their own IP software (slic3r was built in). Note: This review is by two Industrial Design students who have never touched or assembled a 3D printer and started with very limited knowledge, so please excuse any misinformation.

Assembly
All the parts came wrapped nicely and marked with coloured tags and names, which was super convenient with the manual.
Electronics were pre-assembled so no soldering was required. It took us around 2-3 hours to assemble. You need to buy your own power supply though, but that was easy, we got one for $15 and it worked well, we also added our own switch. Oh did I mention that the manual kicks ass? It is literally step by step with great pictures and diagrams! 10/10

Calibration
This took us a while as we were clueless about the endstops at first and forgot to angle the metal L plate into the endstop thus almost breaking the whole thing! But once we got it right, everything worked seamlessly with the computer program.

Print
Print quality was fairly good for medium-big designs while smaller pieces ended up looking horrible. It does not print well on kapton tape so we had to get Scotch Blue Painter's Tape which worked well but not all the time. Also note that we tried using the PLA temperature for printing and it did not work at all as it dried before even making it onto the bed. We had to use 230 (ABS) setting which worked well. The in built slic3r version is quite outdated, although it still worked well; at the consequence of using more material and time than needed. We tested the newer version of slic3r, which ended up saving us a huge load of time and material. The options for infill are much better. (Results will vary, just play with the slic3r settings) 6/10

Program
The program is very simple to use and quite enjoyed it, it reads gcode (slic3r file format) really quick and tells you how much filament is needed and the estimated duration. 8/10

We were amazed at how detailed it looked during the print but when it got to the ears, the nozzle speed was moving to fast, thus the bad quality at the top.

Overall:
We're quite happy for it as a first printer. We find it quite useful (to use and as a learning tool) as we're both industrial design students although it might limit on what you can print, it basically works well with basic forms and shapes. Assembly is top notch easy, it even came with a batch of PLA for test prints! 8/10

Suggestions
- This kit uses a gen6 electronic board which limits you from using a heated bed, with a few extra bucks, you should upgrade to a RAMPS board, which is more accessible and expandable.
- Use Blue Painter's Tape for PLA
- I've been told that a 1.75mm nozzles are more efficient (this kit comes with a 3mm)

Where to Next?
Naturally, it has a great DIY look but it is very inefficient as the power supply and electronics board take up too much space on the table. We're currently designing an enclosure/case for the printer, which will be made out of sheet metal. The power supply will be mounted inside the case while the electronics board will be mounted on top. We're going to upgrade to a RAMPS board and a 1.75mm nozzle.

You shouldn't need to go to 230C for PLA - makes me wonder if something is amiss somewhere?
When you mention 1.75 nozzle, I think you are referring to the filament size (1.75mm or 3mm).
I guess it has no heated bed?

Am one of the product designers/developers so I am 'rapped to see this... here are some tips/suggestions to get even better prints.

Ramps I find that mixing print materials is messy. PLA wins on most fronts and new exciting version come every day- making ABS obsolete and poisonous by comparison. Hence we do not offer headed bed on our PCB. It's of no use and dangerous.

Heated bed - has no value for PLA printing. Even with ABS - i get better results using paint tape or crape/paint tape or even band-aid type tape- over Capton taped print plate. So- it may also burn some people 100+' being not usual...

Wiring tip All cables have a pic-tail type wire wrapping which can be undone- to re-fix the wiring. Use this wrap to lay the cables, following the threaded rods, so they converge neatly into a one of the front corners of your Classic Prusa. This tidies up your wires and still gives you access to PCB.

Print accuracy can be set to professional quality: start always slow by reducing extruder multiplier to slowest possible to get smooth plastic flow. Use minimum clutch pressure on Extruder driver and the layer height as small as you can eg 100 microns. This will give you very smooth surface finishes in the 50-100 micron per layer region

Classic Prusa is a super professional education tool- I loved building mine because it tough me 3D printing concepts as well as CNC and mechanics and electronics/wiring, software, gcode etc... it can be a tough learning curve- pending on your professional training scope, but a rewarding one- for sure!

PLA settings I find temperatures between 195' and 230' all work fine. The ambient temperature of your room may alter this a little. Basically start at 190' and go up by 5' until your plastic flows very well - without curling. Always go from low temperature to higher- to find the best setting for your chosen PLA type.

Filament size Both 3mm and 1.75 work Ok -just we found 3mm to be best all-round performer, hence we use it as our standard size.

Nozzle size We offer 3 nozzle sizes. Quick print 100micron- default type - Fine print 100 micron and Super fine print 100 micron.
The finer you go, the slower the print speed and the more print and 3D cad design skill you need to make it work. The benefit of a finer print nozzle is that the finer nozzle can print thinner walls. The downside is that you need advanced print and 3Ddesign skills to use them effectively. A jeweler, for instance would love a super fine nozzle- someone doing electronic enclosures, would prefer the standard nozzle.

Print samples check out [3dstuffshare.com]- we have print samples there as well the the STL and print setting files- so you can get same results as we do. You can also upload our own designs and share them

Slicer we provide the one that works- but you need to design your parts with your own supports. Later versions have auto support- but these versions are not always stable - or are only best for advanced users... Also to do good slicing- you need good STL files and not all that comes from thingiverse has great STL. Much of their stuff needs STL hole fixing or redesigning- its a mixed bag. Try [www.3dstuffshare.com] - you will find STL and print settings and ratings- a much quicker and more informative way to get good prints.

BTW... every kit is made form the same quality level of parts, than our professional units... We just believe that no-one wants a poor quality kit- whatever the price!
So everyone is getting top-quality- period.
This means, after building the kits and a little printing/software/design practice- you can get professional prints, even/especially with the classic Prusa !

Quotewaitaki wrote:
You shouldn't need to go to 230C for PLA - makes me wonder if something is amiss somewhere? When you mention 1.75 nozzle, I think you are referring to the filament size (1.75mm or 3mm).
I guess it has no heated bed?

I think it might be the room temp, its quite cold around this time in Melbourne, and yes, I meant filament not nozzle, my badd

QuoteRobrep2 Wrote:
Hi BobbyMartin,

Thanks for this review !
You guys have great video skills- love it!

Am one of the product designers/developers so I am 'rapped to see this... here are some tips/suggestions to get even better prints.

Ramps I find that mixing print materials is messy. PLA wins on most fronts and new exciting version come every day- making ABS obsolete and poisonous by comparison. Hence we do not offer headed bed on our PCB. It's of no use and dangerous.

Heated bed - has no value for PLA printing. Even with ABS - i get better results using paint tape or crape/paint tape or even band-aid type tape- over Capton taped print plate. So- it may also burn some people 100+' being not usual...

Wiring tip All cables have a pic-tail type wire wrapping which can be undone- to re-fix the wiring. Use this wrap to lay the cables, following the threaded rods, so they converge neatly into a one of the front corners of your Classic Prusa. This tidies up your wires and still gives you access to PCB.

Print accuracy can be set to professional quality: start always slow by reducing extruder multiplier to slowest possible to get smooth plastic flow. Use minimum clutch pressure on Extruder driver and the layer height as small as you can eg 100 microns. This will give you very smooth surface finishes in the 50-100 micron per layer region smiling smiley

Classic Prusa is a super professional education tool- I loved building mine because it tough me 3D printing concepts as well as CNC and mechanics and electronics/wiring, software, gcode etc... it can be a tough learning curve- pending on your professional training scope, but a rewarding one- for sure!

PLA settings I find temperatures between 195' and 230' all work fine. The ambient temperature of your room may alter this a little. Basically start at 190' and go up by 5' until your plastic flows very well - without curling. Always go from low temperature to higher- to find the best setting for your chosen PLA type.

Filament size Both 3mm and 1.75 work Ok -just we found 3mm to be best all-round performer, hence we use it as our standard size.

Nozzle size We offer 3 nozzle sizes. Quick print 100micron- default type - Fine print 100 micron and Super fine print 100 micron.
The finer you go, the slower the print speed and the more print and 3D cad design skill you need to make it work. The benefit of a finer print nozzle is that the finer nozzle can print thinner walls. The downside is that you need advanced print and 3Ddesign skills to use them effectively. A jeweler, for instance would love a super fine nozzle- someone doing electronic enclosures, would prefer the standard nozzle.

Print samples check out [3dstuffshare.com]- we have print samples there as well the the STL and print setting files- so you can get same results as we do. You can also upload our own designs and share them smiling smiley

Slicer we provide the one that works- but you need to design your parts with your own supports. Later versions have auto support- but these versions are not always stable - or are only best for advanced users... Also to do good slicing- you need good STL files and not all that comes from thingiverse has great STL. Much of their stuff needs STL hole fixing or redesigning- its a mixed bag. Try [www.3dstuffshare.com] - you will find STL and print settings and ratings- a much quicker and more informative way to get good prints.

BTW... every kit is made form the same quality level of parts, than our professional units... We just believe that no-one wants a poor quality kit- whatever the price!
So everyone is getting top-quality- period.
This means, after building the kits and a little printing/software/design practice- you can get professional prints, even/especially with the classic Prusa ! smiling smiley

Update: We just updated our Prusa structure! We call it the 'Titan'
We aimed for a compact, streamlined and aesthetically pleasing design. It was suppose to be made of aluminium, however we ran into too many problems with the waterjet cutter at our school and we didn't want to use plastic so wood was our preferred resort.

We:
- hid the power supply inside the enclosure
- added a power switch,
- added a cover for the top bed
- moved the electronics board to the top
- added a spool holder (executed extremely poorly, we should've designed it better)